Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-06-11
Humor aud CAPITAL.

GOULD. HE ALSO INDUCES IN A FEW
sUNDRY REFLECTIONS en- A MILLION
ARE AND HIS PRosPECTs-A RICH
MANS POSSIBILITIES IN PARADISE.
1t has been ten long weary years
since last met Jay Gould until j
called upon him recently to renew
the acquaintance, and discuss the
happy past. Ten years Of patient
toll and earnest endeavor on my
part, ten years of philanthropy on
his, have been filed away in the grim
and greedy heretofore. Both OF us
have changed in that time, though
Jay has changed more than | have.
Perhaps that is because he has been
thrown more in contact with change
than have.
Still, had changed a good deal
in those years, for when / called at
Irvington recently Mr.. Gould did
not remember me. Neither did the
watchful but overestimated dog in
the front yard. Mr.. Gould lives in
comfort, in cherry home, surround
ed by hired help and barbed-wire
fence.
BY wearing ready-made clothes,
instead of having his clothing made
especially for himself, he has been
enabled to amass good many mil
lions of dollars with which he is en-
abled to buy things.
Carefully concealing the fact that
1 had any business relations with
the press, | gave my card to the per-
son who does the chores for Mr..
Gould, and, apoligizing for not hav-
ing dropped in before, took a seat
in the spare room TO wait for the
great railroad magnate.
Mr.. Gould entered the room with
a low, stealthy tread, and looked me
over in cursory way yet with the
air of connoisseur.
81 believe that / have never had
the pleasure of meeting you before,
sir" said the great railroad swallow
err and ameteur philanthropist with
a tinge of railroad irony.
eyes, sir, we met some ten years
ago. said 1, lightly running my fing-
ers over the keys of the piano in or
der to show him that / was accus-
toned to the sight of piano. 81
was then working in the rolling mill
at Laramie City, Wyo., and you came
to visit the mill, which was then OPP
perated by the Union Pacific Rail.
road Company. You do rot remem-
Der me because | have purchased a
different pair Of trousers since / saw
you, and the cane which / wear this
season changes my whole appear
ance also. l remember you, how
ever, very much"
"Well, if we grant all that, Mr..
Nye, will you excuse me for asking
YOU to what l am indebted for this
CALI"
"Well, Mr.. Could" said I, rising
to my full height and putting my
soft hat on the brow of the Venus
de Milo, after which / seated myself
opposite him in a degoge Western
way, "you are indebted to me for
this call. That's what you are in
,debted TO. But we will let that pass.
We are not here to talk about in
debtedness, Jay. If you are busy
you needn't return this call till next
winter. But 1 am here just to con-
verse in quiet way, as between man
and man. To talk over the past, to
ask you how your conduct is and to
inquire if l can do you any good in
any way whatever. This is no time
to speak pieces and ask in gra-
NAUTICAL way: "To what you are in
debted for this call 2" My main OBJ.
ject in coming up here was to take
you by the hand and ask you how
your memory is this spring? Judg-
ing from what could hear, | was
led to believe that 1t was little in
clined to be sluggish and astrophied
days and keepyou awake nights. Is
that so. Jay?r